Game board



May 12, 1942- 2 c. B. MALBoN 2,282,871

GAME BOARD Filed July 22, 1940 Patented May 124, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAME BOARD Clifford B. Malbon, Marblehead, Mass. Application Jury 22, 1940, serial No. 346,699

3 claims. (o1. 273-136) This invention relates to certain improvements in game apparatus of the type in which game pieces or checkers are moved about .on a game board, as, for example, in the ancient game of checkers. y

Game boards of this type are often supported on the laps of the players, and it frequently happens during the progress of the game that the board is jarred or tilted so that the checkers slide from theirplaces and as a result the game is spoiled, as the playersare often unable to remember exactly how many checkers were on the board, or exactly where they were placed.

The object of my invention is to provide a game board and a set of game pieces or checkers in connection therewith which will frictionallyengage when the checkers are merely placed on the board, so that, when the board is accidentally jarred .or is inclined to even a nearly vertical psition, the checkers will remainin the places in which they have been placed and will not be moved from their places unless lifted or actually pushed therefrom.

I accomplish this object by providing a board, the surface of which is covered with a coating of trating the character of the frictional engagement. f

l It will be understoodthat the disclosure of my invention in connection with an ordinary checker board is merely illustrative and that there are various other well known games of this type with which my invention may be advantageously employed. i 1

In the drawing a indicates a section of an ordinary checker board and b the checkers, or game pieces which are used in connection therewith,

flocking of cotton or other fibrous material, which is adhesively secured thereto so that a' mu1tiplic ity of minute, short fibers stand erect on the surface, and by coating the engaging surface or surfaces of the checkers in like manner, so that, when the checkers are merely placed on the board, the erect fibers on the board and checkers interlock and prevent the checkers from freely sliding on the board, or from being moved thereon by the action of gravity when the vboard is tilted even to a nearly vertical position, or from being moved from their positions when the board is accidentally moved suddenly or jarred, the construction permitting the checkers to be slid over the surface of the board nearly as easily as if the flocked surfaces were not present, and in no way interfering with the checkers from beingl lifted :and placed in other positions.

For a more complete disclosure of my invention reference is made to the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of an ordinary checker board which is provided with an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof. l

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectivelygreatly enlarged sectional views of a checker and a portion of thel board.

Fig. 5 is a still more greatly enlarged View illusthe checkers being adapted to be placed on the board either side up. i

. `According to my invention the playing surface of the board is covered with a suitable adhesive and a flocking c, which consists of finely divided short particles of cotton, rayon, or wool fibers, is discharged against the coated surface, the well known methods of applying flocking to various surfaces being employed. By this method, thru the action of static electricity, the short fibers stand erect, or on end, in the adhesive, and are retained in this position. As this condition is hardly describable to the naked eye, all illustration thereof in the drawing is .on a greatly enlarged scale. By the same method, the opposite sides, or board engaging surfaces, of the checkers are also provided with a coating of flocking d, as indicated in Fig. 3. The entire surface of the board and the surfaces of the checkers are therefore all provided with a multiplicity of `minute fibrous projections.

When the checkers, as thus coated, are placed `on the coated surface of the board, the projecting fibers interlock, as also illustrated in Fig. 5, so that sliding of the checker by gravity action is prevented when the board Yis inclined or tipped `even to a nearly vertical position, or is jarred by being suddenly forced horizontally.

In the game of checkers, one checker is placed on top of another when a checker has been moved entirely across the board and when this is done the projecting fibers on the engaging surface of i the checkersalso interlock, so that the checker which is o'n top will not; fall off the other checker when the board is tilted, so that bothl will be retained in' position.v

In playing a game, the checkers maybe readily pushed from place to place or lifted and moved, the coating of flocking 'only slightlyl impeding the movement when the checker is slid and in no manufacture and greatly increases the convenience in the use of the board.

The term checkers is intended to include any form of game pieces which are movable on a board. In some instances, as in chess, the game pieces only have one board engaging surface while in checkers they have two. In some instances the checkers have circular designs carved or impressed therein, so that the entire surface is not effective in engaging the board surface, but the board engaging surface has been found to be of suiilcient area to hold the checker in position after the flocking has been applied.

I claim:

1. The combination of a game board, havin checkers movable on the surface thereof, the surface of the board and the contacting surfaces of the checkers having apparently smooth surfaces presented by the ends of a multiplicity of flexible fibrous projections minute in all dimensions adapted to interlock sufilciently by the weight of the checkers to increase the frictional engagement of the checkers with the board and to hold them in position with equal effort against unintentional sliding movement in any direction, so that they will not be displaced by gravity action when the board is tilted, the extent of interlocking and the rigidity of the projections the board.

2. The combination of a game board, having checkers movable on the surface thereof, the surv face of the board, and the contacting surfaces of being sufficiently small to permit ready intenthe checkers, having a flocking of fibrous material adhesively secured thereto presenting apparently smooth surfaces and forming minute flexible projections on the surfaces to hold the checkers in position with equal effort against unintentional movement in any direction while permitting. ready intentional sliding movement of the checkers with equal effort in any direction in contact with the board.

3. The combination of a game board, having checkers movable on the surface thereof, said checkers having oppositely disposed faces for engaging the surface of the board, the faces of said checkers andthe surface of the board having a flocking of fibrous material adhesively secured thereto presenting apparently smooth surfaces and forming minute flexible projections on the surfaces to hold the checkers in position with equal effort against unintentional movement in any direction while permitting ready intentional sliding movement of the checkers with equal effort in any direction in contact with the board.

CLIFFORD B. MALBON. 

